Shattered Peace
by maggieevans1
Summary: The cats of ThunderClan have been challenged for their hunting territory by the fierce ShadowClan. Can Lionpelt train Silverpaw in time to meet ShadowClan in battle? chapter 2 is up
1. The Battle For Hunting Land

**Shattered Peace**

Lionpelt padded out of the warriors den at dawn, raising his head to take in the scents of the forest. He was the first cat to wake.

He padded over to the fresh-kill pile in the middle of the clearing and chose a plump vole.

Snowstorm had just woken up. He picked out a blackbird and settled down next to Lionpelt.

"Hello Snowstorm."

"Hello Lionpelt," replied Snowstorm through a huge mouthful of blackbird.

After swallowing the blackbird Snowstorm meowed, "You lead the sunhigh hunting patrol with me, SilverPaw, Viperfang and Firestorm." Lionpelt nodded, only half listening.

He was too busy wondering who would be going to the gathering tonight.

"Who do you think will be going to the gathering," asked Lionpelt?

"That's what I'd like to know," said a voice from behind them.

They turned to see Leopardpaw emerging from the apprentices den and bounding towards them. "I will ask Willowstar after my patrol, it's almost sunhigh." meowed Lionpelt. He finished his vole in a quick gulp and hurried of to round up his patrol.

Lionpelt sniffed the air, "Mouse!" He crouched low on the ground, stepping very slowly and softly. He pounced. The mouse tried to scamper away, but Lionpelt was too fast for it. He caught it and killed it with a swipe of his claws.

Lionpelt pushed the mouse to his apprentice, Silverpaw.

"Here, eat," he mewed.

Silverpaw hungrily shoveled down the mouse. Lionpelt, seeing that she was finished meowed, "Good, now you try."

Silverpaw obediently dropped into a crouch and slowly stalked forward. Silverpaw returned with a squirrel dangling from her jaws. She had successfully caught it.

The others in their patrol had been hunting nearby. They met at the OwlTree.

"It is getting late," said Viperfang. "We need to be heading back to the camp; the gathering will be starting soon."

ThunderClan stared up at Willowstar on the highrock.

"The following cats will be going to the gathering: Sorrelpelt, WhiteFlower, Silvercoat, Firestorm, Lionpelt, Cedarpelt, Ironclaw, Dapplecoat, SpringRiver, PatchPelt, Leopardpaw, Oakpaw, and Silverpaw."

Silverpaw gave an exited squeak, this was her first gathering.

ThunderClan poured down the slope to Fourtrees. WindClan, RiverClan, and ShadowClan were already there. Lionpelt went straight for his friend Whitetail, a WindClan warrior. "I think this gathering will be a good one," meowed Whitetail

"I agree," mewed Lionpelt.

A loud yowling sounded from the four leaders on top of the great rock. Darkstar, the leader of ShadowClan stepped forward.

"Twolegs destroyed part of our hunting territory and on what is left of out territory, prey is scarce because the treecutter scared it away. So, we ask ThunderClan for only a small fraction of their hunting territory."

Yowls of outrage came from ThunderClan. "I would never give you any ThunderClan territory," hissed Willowstar.

"You have one day to consider the offer, said Darkstar; "Meet me at Thunderpath at moonhigh with your answer, if you do not accept...we shall fight."

ThunderClan raced back to their camp. They gathered around the highrock. There was no need for a call to order. Willowstar leapt onto the highrock.

"I will not," she began, "give any ThunderClan territory to ShadowClan. We will fight. ShadowClan are strong, so we need our strongest and fastest warriors and apprentices. Of the apprentices, Leopardpaw, Flamepaw, Oakpaw, and Silverpaw will go to the battle. Of the warriors, Firestorm, Sorrelpelt, Thunderclaw, Viperfang, Lionpelt, Silvercoat, Snowstorm, Ironclaw and I will go. WhiteFlower, our medicine cat, will also be going. Get some sleep everybody, for we have got a long day tomorrow."

She dismissed them, jumped down from the highrock, and padded into her den.

The next morning dawned bright. Lionpelt padded over to the apprentices den.

"Wake up Silverpaw, training."

Silverpaw pushed herself to her paws and followed Lionpelt to the training hollow. "So, what are we doing today?" asked Silverpaw.

"We are going to practice your fighting skills." replied Lionpelt, "Even though you already know how to fight, I want to make sure you are prepared for this battle."

"Attack me." meowed Lionpelt. Silverpaw crouched down on the ground. Her eyes were focused on his legs. She leapt at his legs but she veered to the left and struck his head. Lionpelt was not ready for the sudden change of direction. He lost his footing and fell over. Silverpaw padded to over to him.

"That was great," meowed Lionpelt as he shook the sand off of his fur, "ShadowClan won't know what hit them!"

They trained until sundown. "I think we should be going back to camp." said Lionpelt.

A group of murmuring cats was huddled by the gorse tunnel. "Hurry up," yowled Ironclaw, "We are about to leave!"

The warriors and apprentices ran through the forest to thunderpath. ShadowClan were already there.

"Will you give us territory?" asked Darkstar. "Never!" spat Willowstar. Darkstar hissed. "Attack!" yowled Darkstar. "Attack!" yowled Willowstar.

A huge black and white tom leapt on top of Lionpelt. He felt thorn-sharp claws rake across his back. Lionpelt rolled over and kicked the cat off of him and clawed his exposed belly. The black and white tom shrieked in pain and shot into the bushes.

He saw Silverpaw struggling under two apprentices twice her size. Lionpelt launched himself at one of the apprentices. He struck him across the head with his claws. The apprentice ran away, and Silverpaw overthrew the other one. The battle raged on for a very long time until a voice came from the center of the fighting cats; it was Darkstar, "We can't win. We must retreat!" The ShadowClan cats disappeared into the forest.

Yowls of triumph came from ThunderClan as they returned to ThunderClan camp.

Lionpelt padded over to the highrock where Willowstar stood.

"I, Willowstar, the leader of ThunderClan call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these four apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of the warrior code. Flamepaw, Silverpaw, Oakpaw, Leopardpaw, do you promise to follow the warrior code and defend your clan even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," they mewed. "Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior names.

Flamepaw, from this moment you will be known as Flameheart. Oakpaw, from this moment you will be known as Oakfur. Leopardpaw, from this moment you will be known as Leopardpelt, and Silverpaw, from this moment you will be known as Silverfang. StarClan honors you for your bravery and courage."

The clan chanted their new warrior names, "Flameheart! Oakfur! Leopardpelt! Silverfang!" "It is a tradition of our ancestors," meowed Willowstar, "that Flameheart, Oakfur, Silverfang, and Leopardpelt must sit in silent vigil until dawn and guard the camp alone while we sleep."

She dismissed them and went into her den. Lionpelt yawned, suddenly aware of how tired he was. He crawled into the warriors den and fell asleep.


	2. The Invasion

Chapter 2: The Invasion

"We will get revenge," hissed a jet-black tom angrily. "That battle with ThunderClan was a humiliating loss. We shall invade their camp and drive them out of their territory."

"But, Darkstar, it's too risky", meowed a black and white tom. "ThunderClan have too many warriors, and we don't need to lose _any_."

"Well, Whiteclaw, that's a risk I'm willing to take," meowed the black cat.

Lionpelt walked through the forest with Silverfang, in search of prey because they had only caught a couple of mice and they needed more to feed the clan.

"Lionpelt," mewed Silverfang urgently; "can you smell that? It's ShadowClan…. in our territory, we've got to go back to camp and tell Willowstar."

The two of them raced at full speed back to their camp.

"Willowstar!" yowled Silverfang. "Come in."

She entered Willowstar's large den. "What can I do for you?" she mewed.

"ShadowClan is in our territory," meowed Silverfang urgently; "I saw them creeping through the undergrowth. Almost the whole clan is there except for the kits and the elders!"

"This is serious," meowed Willowstar, as she stood up, "I must tell the clan."

"ThunderClan," yowled Willowstar, "most of Shadowclan have been sighted in our territory. We must prepare ourselves for an attack."

At that very moment a loud yowling sound erupted from the gorse tunnel as ShadowClan cats poured into ThunderClan's camp.

The same black and white tom that Lionpelt fought in the previous battle appeared in front of him.

"You won't beat me this time" he snarled, and leaped at him but he veered to the left.

Lionpelt remembered this move as Silverfang had used it while they were training.

He dodged out of the way and Whiteclaw fell clumsily onto his side.

Lionpelt sank his teeth deep into his opponent's neck.

The tom hissed and clawed his face and shoulders. Lionpelt fell backwards in pain. In a second the big cat was on top of him, clawing him viciously.

Lionpelt could not get free, as the tom was twice his size. Eventually his struggles grew weaker and weaker as he faded into darkness.

The next thing he knew WhiteFlower was pressing cobwebs against his many wounds.

"Oh, good you're awake," mewed Silverfang. Lionpelt was relieved that she wasn't hurt very bad.

"We chased ShadowClan out of our territory," she continued, "They must have invaded our camp to get revenge for losing that last battle and…. they killed Viperfang and Silvercoat."

She bowed her head, sadly.

Lionpelt gasped. "Where are they?"

Silverfang pointed with her nose to a place beneath the highrock where the two cats lay.

He attempted to get to his paws, but WhiteFlower quickly meowed.

"Don't get up, you're too weak to stand," which was true because he fell over.

"One other thing," Silverfang meowed quietly, "one of ShadowClan's youngest apprentices was too weak and injured to go back with ShadowClan, and she doesn't _want_ to go back either. I don't know what Willowstar is going to end up doing with her."

"Well, that's all, good night." She slowly walked away and went into the warriors den.

Lionpelt watched WhiteFlower putting away cobwebs, and mixing various herbs, as the sun set on this very long and tiring day.


End file.
